


Nostalgia and Novelty

by aw_writing_no



Category: The Old Guard (Comics)
Genre: It's about the found family y'all, Multi, POV Nile Freeman, This is.... the softest thing I've ever written, mac and cheese is something that can be so personal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:33:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28337007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aw_writing_no/pseuds/aw_writing_no
Summary: Andy settles in the chair next to her. “Does this have anything to do with why Nicky was begging Joe to smother him a few minutes ago?”Nile looks at her, eyes widening. “Nicky was doing what?”“He was trying to get Joe to suffocate him with a Christmas pillow,” Andy says with a slight shrug. Nile feels like Andy should be alarmed, rather than amused like she sounds. “I walked in on them wrestling on the floor and noped out pretty fast.”ORNicky tries to make Nile feel more at home by trying some new recipes. It doesn't exactly go as planned.
Relationships: Andy | Andromache of Scythia/Quynh | Noriko, Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 158
Collections: The Old Guard Gift Exchange 2020





	Nostalgia and Novelty

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Miss_Nixy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miss_Nixy/gifts).



> This is my TOG exchange fic for the lovely Nixy! I started this before I got to know her in various discords (or realized she was hosting this whole event), so then I promptly panicked and started 8 different stories. Eventually found my way back here.

“Here, Nile, try this.”

Nile opens her mouth obediently, letting Nicky feed her a large spoonful of mac and cheese. He had been experimenting with recipes ever since she mentioned it was her favorite, which was about eighteen different kinds of endearing. The first few were definitely closer to traditional Italian pasta dishes than macaroni, but he was getting closer every time. 

Nile barely suppresses a groan as she begins to chew. It might be his best attempt yet -- the texture of the noodles is  _ just _ right, there are multiple cheeses and breadcrumbs, and something else that she can’t quite place but seems very familiar…

“Delicious,” she assures Nicky, and he gives her one his tiny grins. 

“Joe’s been helping me find different cooking blogs,” Nicky says, lowering his voice conspiratorially. “This one had more ingredients than the last few. Garlic and onion salt, three types of cheese, leeks, and --”

“Dijon mustard,” Nile says, suddenly placing the familiar taste. 

“Yes! Did the flavor come through?”

Nile’s mouth goes dry, and she swallows hard around the cotton in her throat. “It was my mom’s secret ingredient.”

“Oh.” Nicky’s eyes are trained on her face. “Is it good then? Reminding you of home?”

Nile closes her eyes, suddenly a thousand miles away in their cramped kitchen in Chicago. 

_ She and Brian are crowding behind their mom, both armed with forks as they try to steal mac and cheese from the pot on the stove. She swats at them with a wooden spoon.  _

_ “Get out of here with those! Who raised you two vultures?”  _

_ Nile laughs triumphantly as she manages to grab a large bite and shove it in her mouth. She dodges the spoon as it swings at her side, and then dances out of the kitchen, Brian close behind.  _

“Nile?” Nicky’s voice breaks through her memories, dragging her back to the safehouse. “Are you okay?”

Nile opens her eyes. Nicky swims in and out of her vision and  _ fuck _ , those are definitely tears spilling down her cheeks. Nicky’s looks stricken, his face paling as his lips part in shock. 

“Nile.” Nicky moves towards her, and Nile immediately steps back. If Nicky hugs her, she will definitely start sobbing in the kitchen.

“I gotta go,” she mumbles, then turns on her heel and flees. She breezes by Joe who is whistling as he hangs a Malta cross ornament on the Christmas tree. She thinks he may call after her, but she resolutely ignores him as she makes her way to the balcony. She wants fresh air, wants to  _ think _ , but she’s not sure she can handle wandering outside. 

Nile curls up on one of the patio chairs, wrapping her arms around her legs and resting her chin on her knees. She stares out over the city, watching the sun sink below the horizon, then takes a deep, shuddering breath and tries to hold back her tears. It’s not the first Christmas she has been away from her family -- she had been deployed twice during the holidays. But even then she was able to talk to her mother, was able to open her stocking and see her brother’s grin over Skype when he opened his presents. 

This year, her family thinks she’s dead.

She’s not sure how long she sits there, tears streaming down her face, before the sliding glass door opens behind her. 

“Everything okay out here?”

Nile jumps at Andy’s voice. She sniffs and wipes at her cheeks, even though she knows it’s obvious that she has been crying. “All good,” she says, her voice wobbly.

Andy settles in the chair next to her. “Does this have anything to do with why Nicky was begging Joe to smother him a few minutes ago?”

Nile looks at her, eyes widening. “Nicky was doing  _ what _ ?”

“He was trying to get Joe to suffocate him with a Christmas pillow,” Andy says with a slight shrug. Nile feels like Andy should be alarmed, rather than amused like she sounds. “I walked in on them wrestling on the floor and noped out pretty fast.”

Nile smiles, like she does every time one of the immortals uses some modern slang. 

(The last time she was killed on a mission, it was because Joe had yelled  _ yeet _ while throwing his empty gun at someone. She was still laughing 30 seconds later when she got shot in the head. Quynh did  _ not _ let her live that one down)

“I feel bad,” Nile admits. “He was just being nice, and I got upset. And now  _ he’s _ upset.”

“I’m not worried about Nicky. What’s going on with you?”

“Nicky made mac and cheese.”

Andy tilts her head and narrows her eyes slightly. “And it was so bad that it made you cry?”

No,” she says. “He used the same secret ingredient my mom used to use in hers. She made it every Christmas.” 

“Ah.” 

Nile pulls her legs tighter against her chest. Now that the sun is starting to set there’s a slight chill in the air. She rubs her hands up and down her bare arms, wishing she wasn’t in a tank top. “Yeah. I’m just feeling a bit homesick, I guess.” 

“I forgot that this is your first Christmas with us,” Andy says. “You just fit in so well it’s like you’ve been here forever.

Nile smiles. “Nope, I’m still brand new.”

“You're my favorite baby immortal,” Andy says, and reaches over to pinch her cheek. Nile laughs and smacks her away. Andy holds her hands up in surrender, then gives Nile a small, reassuring grin.

“Would it help if you talked about them? Your family?”

Nile thinks for a moment, then shakes her head. “Not tonight. I just got a little blindsided. But maybe next Christmas we can do one or two of my mom’s traditions?”

Andy curves her hand around the back of Nile’s neck and brings their foreheads together. “That sounds great, kid.” 

They stay like that for a moment before Nile sniffs and pulls away. “I should probably go see if Nicky’s okay,” she mumbles. 

Andy snorts. “He’s totally fine,” she says. “But I’m sure he’d appreciate knowing that you aren’t angry at him.”

It takes Nile less than thirty seconds to find him once she’s back inside the apartment. Nicky is sprawled on the floor in front of the Christmas tree; Joe straddling his waist, laughing loudly as he tries to pry a pillow away from Nicky’s face. 

“Give me the pillow, habibi,” Joe coaxes. “I haven’t killed you in four hundred years, I certainly don’t want to break that record now.”

“You have to.” Nicky’s voice is muffled by the pillow, which he pulls tighter against his own face. Joe begins to mutter in Arabic, and there’s a heated tug-of-war before Nicky manages to take possession of the pillow again. “I made Nile  _ cry _ .” 

“It was an accident. I’m not going to smother you over an accident. Or at all.” Joe changes strategies, lying flat on top of his husband to try and get a look at Nicky’s face. Nicky squishes the pillow completely around his head, blocking Joe’s attempts to see him. 

“I deserve death.” He wraps the arms around the pillow and squeezes it down over his face again. Joe bites one of Nicky’s fingers, causing him to yelp and loosen his grip.

“I know it’s Christmas, but that doesn’t mean you get to indulge in Catholic guilt, Nicol ò .”

“This is just regular guilt. I am a monster, Joe. You should have seen her face.” 

“There was no way for you to have known mustard would make Nile cry,” Joe reasons. He manages to work his fingers under the edge of the cushion and peels it back to look fondly down at Nicky. “If anything it’s my fault.  _ I’m _ the one who found the recipe online. Would you smother me, my heart?”

Nicky tosses the pillow to the side. “Never,” he says, and pulls Joe down into a kiss.

God, these two are disgusting. Nile loves them so much. 

“Joe’s right,” Nile says, hoping to interrupt them before they start getting too hot and heavy in the living room. “There’s no way you could have known about my mom’s mac and cheese.”

“Nile!” Nicky scrambles to his feet, apparently forgetting that his husband is currently draped on top of him. Joe yelps as he hits the tile and then curses when Nicky trips over him. Nicky ignores him and makes his way towards Nile. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” Nile assures him, “I’m fine. I was just surprised. There’s no reason to beat yourself up.”

“Told you,” Joe says from the floor. “I was right not to kill you.” Nicky shoots him a small smile. 

“It just turns out I’m a little homesick,” Nile says. “It’s my first Christmas without…” She trails off and swallows.

“Without your family,” Nicky finishes. 

Nile nods. “Yeah. But it’s also my first Christmas with my new family.”

Nicky  _ beams _ at her, and Joe sits up and grins. “We’re very glad you’re here with us, Nile,” Joe says. “We already love you very much.” 

Nile feels a tightness in her chest, but it’s not the sharp pain of loss she felt before; it’s as if her heart is suddenly a bit too big and is pressing against her sternum. “I love you guys, too.” 

Nicky rocks back back and forth on his toes. Nile raises her eyebrow at him, and then he blurts out, “May I hug you?”

“Of course.”

Nicky pulls her against his chest, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and holding her close. Nile rubs her face against his shirt and sighs happily. She slides her arms around his waist and squeezes. 

“Wait, I want to join!” 

Nile hears Joe push himself to his feet, and then he is pressed against her, warm and solid against her back. “I can’t believe you guys were going to have a hug  _ without _ me.” 

“You were being dramatic on the floor,” Nicky says. “I could not wait any longer for hugs.” Joe’s arms wrap around Nile, sandwiching her firmly between them. Joe rests his cheek on the top of her head. 

Nile isn’t sure how long they stand there, taking comfort in the warm presence of each other, when she hears a loud sigh from her right. She turns to see Andy wrinkling her nose at them.

“Gross,” Andy says. “You guys are gross.”

“You’re just jealous that Nile is in the middle,” Joe says. Nile snorts as Andy narrows her eyes at them. She doesn’t refute Joe’s claim, just folds her arms across her chest and juts her chin out at the trio. 

“Let the poor girl go. She’s going to suffocate in there.”

“It’s fine,” Nile says. “I’d be back soon enough.” 

She feels Joe and Nicky’s laughter vibrate through her. Still, they both drop their arms and take a step back. She squirms free and then looks up at Nicky.

“Any chance there’s some mac and cheese left?” Nile asks. “It was actually really delicious.”

“Ah,” Nicky says, glancing down the hallway. “There might be. If you move quickly.”

Andy is already sauntering towards the kitchen, never one to turn down a good meal. Nile chuckles and follows close behind. She nearly collides with Andy’s back when the other woman stops in the entryway to the kitchen.

“Seriously guys?” Andy asks. Nile peers around her and immediately begins to giggle.

Quynh and Booker are hunched over the table, eating mac and cheese directly from the pot. Booker is using the serving spoon to shovel an absurd amount of noodles into his mouth; Quynh’s cheeks are comically stuffed like a hamster. Both of them stare at Andy and Nile with wide eyes.

It takes a long minute for either of them to swallow their food and be able to talk. 

“I can explain,” Quynh begins. 

“Nicky told us to eat the evidence,” Booker says. “He said that the mac and cheese needed to be gone by the time Nile came back in.”

Andy makes her way over to the counter, pulling the silverware drawer open with more force than was strictly necessary. She grabs two forks, tossing one to Nile as she walks toward the table. She drops onto Quynh’s lap, who lets out a dramatic “ _ Oof _ ” as Andy makes herself comfortable. 

Andy peers down into the pot. “You two are animals,” she says, reaching in to aggressively stab some noodles. “There is not nearly enough left for the four of us.”

“Again,” Quynh says, “Nicky told us to get rid of the evidence. We take our duty seriously.”

Andy rolls her eyes. “You better get in here, Nile.” Then she turns her focus back to the mac and cheese. Quynh reaches around her for another bite, and Andy blocks her fork. “No! You’re going to share!” 

Nile smiles and shakes her head, but makes her way towards the table to settle next to Booker. She scoops up some noodles and takes a large bite. 

Now that she knows to brace herself, she’s able to focus on the complexity of all the other flavors. It’s different from her mother’s recipe -- the leek has a distinctive taste, and both the onion and garlic powder carry through each bite. It’s savory and sharp, and the overall effect delicious. 

The dijon lingers on her tongue even after she swallows; it’s familiar and warm, nostalgic as Nile lets herself savor the taste. 

The recipe is perfect, Nile thinks. A combination of old and new, a reminder of home and the novelty of her immortal family. 

She opens her eyes and dives in for seconds. 

Nicky is in the doorway, watching her as she takes another bite. Joe is glued to his back, arms wrapped around his waist with his chin hooked over Nicky’s shoulder. 

Nile raises the fork in a  _ cheers _ motion. “This is delicious, Nicky.” 

“I’m glad,” he says. “Is there anything else you would like to do for your first Christmas, Nile?”

Nile looks around the table -- at Quynh and Andy, who are fencing with their forks; at Booker who is ladling macaroni directly into his mouth; at Nicky and Joe, who are watching the four of them fondly. 

“Just to spend it with you guys,” Nile says, and finds that she means it. 

“Cheesy,” Quynh says, snaking her arm around Andy to get another bite of mac and cheese.

“Gross,” Andy agrees. She grabs Quynh’s wrist and redirects the forkful of noodles into her own mouth. A mild scuffle ensues that ends with Andy on the floor, rubbing her ass and staring at Quynh petulantly.

Booker bumps his shoulder against Nile’s. “It’s sweet,” he tells her. “That’s all I want as well.” Suddenly he sobers, licking his lips as his eyes dart around to look at everyone gathered around the table. “I mean that… I’m truly thankful to be here, with all of you.”

Nile reaches out to squeeze his hand, and Booker gives her a grateful smile. 

“We’re glad you’re here,” Joe says. Nicky leans back against his husband and laces their fingers together. Booker’s lips part in a silent  _ oh _ . His fingers tighten around Nile’s, and she rubs her thumb in a soothing pattern over his knuckles. Nile knows that it had taken Joe a long time to come around to Booker being back. But when Booker had shown up with Quynh, Andy was so ecstatic to have her family back together that no one had the heart to send him away again.

“I’m just here for the presents,” Quynh says. She startles a laugh out of Joe, Nile, and Booker, who drops Nile’s hand after a reassuring squeeze. 

Nile grins, and there is a feral edge to her smile. “I am going to  _ destroy  _ you all with these gifts.” Nile’s prowess with choosing presents is legendary among her friends and family. One of the largest disputes her platoon had ever faced was after Dizzy had rigged Secret Santa to ensure that Nile was the one buying her gift.

“It’s not a competition,” Nicky says. 

Joe snorts, then nuzzles his face into Nicky’s neck. “Only because I always win.” 

“$500 says my presents are better,” Nile challenges. Joe raises an eyebrow, and the rest of the immortals stare at her with slightly incredulous looks in their eyes.

“Are you sure you want to make that bet?” Booker asks. “Joe has known Andy and Quynh for almost a millenia, and me for several centuries. I’m not even taking into account how absurdly attuned he is to Nicky’s every whim and desire.” Joe snickers, and Nicky hides his face in his hands. Booker continues, “He has a bit of an advantage, don’t you think?” 

Nile shrugs. “Then he shouldn’t be worried about taking the bet, right?”

“I accept,” Joe says, winking at Nile. 

Nile shoves a final bite of macaroni in her mouth, then leans back in her chair with a smirk. This is going to be  _ good _ . 

* * *

“Okay everyone,” Andy says, commandeering the attention of the other immortals who are sprawled in various locations around the living room. “It’s time to see whose gifts reign supreme, Joe or Nile. Please select which present you think is superior.”

Booker goes first, holding up the first edition English translation of Proust’s  _ Remembrance of Things Past _ . “It may not be as good as the original French,” he says, “but it was a damn good find, Nile.” 

Andy is next. “Two tickets to Mongolia, with instructions to buy some horses and take the beautiful woman next to me on a tour of the steppes to sleep beneath the stars.” Quynh beams and leans over to press a kiss against Andromache’s cheek. Andy winks at Nile. “You have amazing ideas, kid.”

“Sorry, Nile,” Quynh says. “I think Joe’s present wins.” She gestures towards the compound bow. “This thing looks  _ really _ cool.” 

“Two to one,” Nile says. “What happens if we tie?”

“Sudden death,” Booker says. “The three of us vote on whose present is better -- your gift to Joe, or Joe’s gift to you.”

Joe turns to Nicky, who is taking a large sip of wine. “Shall we just skip you, hayati? Go straight to sudden death?”

Nicky rubs the back of his head. “Forgive me, tesoro,” he says, looking at Joe with pleading eyes. “But Nile wins.”

Booker surges to his feet with a loud whoop as Andy doubles over with laughter. Booker holds a hand out to Nile and then pulls her off the couch, spinning her against him in a complicated victory dance. Joe’s eyes widen with shock, and then he collapses backwards onto the floor. 

“I have been betrayed!” he wails, throwing an arm over his eyes. “The love of my life, my  _ heart _ , has turned against me. I shall never recover from this.”

“Amore mio,” Nicky says, leaning over to pry Joe’s arm away from his face. “You must look at these books.” He pulls Joe back up into a sitting position and then places a stack of books in his lap. He opens the first one to a page approximately a quarter of the way through the book.

Joe pouts. “They’re all about queer history.”

“From the First Crusade through the 1900s,” Nicky says. “Joe, every one of these books has an essay or chapter about us. Analyzing one of your poems, a sketch you did of me, paintings of us through the years. They document the way that our love changed history.”

Joe’s lips part, and his eyes begin to shine with what Nile suspects are unshed tears. He runs his finger over the page, tracing the rough charcoal sketch of his body entwined with Nicky’s.

“I thought for sure Leonardo had burnt this one.”

Nile rolls her eyes. “The fact that they discovered a drawing of you two in a da Vinci’s portfolio is actually ridiculous.”

Joe closes the book and then looks up. “Nile wins,” he says; the smile playing across his lips is almost unbearably soft. “Do you accept checks?”

“Absolutely not,” Nile says. “Cash only.” 

Nicky snorts rather inelegantly; Quynh begins to laugh outright. Booker’s arm is a comforting weight where it rests around Nile’s shoulder, and Andy’s grin is warm and wide. 

“I told you,” Andy says. “It’s like you’ve been a part of our family forever.”


End file.
